Oxygen cutting process



Patented Dec. 18, 1 9 34 UNITED. STATES PATENT .oF-Fic OXYGEN CUTTING PROCESS .Iohn J. Crowe, Westfleld, N. J., assignor to Air Reduction Gompany, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 3, 1929, Serial No. 411,239

- Claims. 01. 148-9) My. invention relates to an improvement in the mized by so shaping the discharge'passage that art of oxygen cutting of metals in which a stream the pressure of the stream is largely or entirely of oxygen servesto oxidize and disintegrate the translated into velocity. The advantage-of this metal along the line of cut, thereby forming a transformation is twofold, for besides minimiz- 5 kerf. This art is exemplified by its most highly ing the expansion of the cutting jet, the increased 5 developed fields, namely those of oxyacetylene velocity proves to be decidedly advantageous per and oxyhydrogen cutting of steel, in which a se. In the first place, it permits a given quantity torch or burner is used to heat a region at the of gas to be discharged through a smaller opening surface of the steel and also to direct a'stream of and within a finer stream. In addition, a rapidly 10 oxygen against this heated region, the cutting m vi stream possesses a hi h r kin i n r y 0 operation being accomplished in a manner well content than a slower stream and consequently known to those skilled in the art. is more effective in sweeping the disintegrated An object of my invention is to render uch metal and resulting slag from the lower portions cutting more economical than has heretofore f the cut.

been characteristic of this art. With this end in It must be observed that my invention enables 15 view I have contrived means whereby the width iv n thickne s of metal to be cut with a much of the kerf formed in cutting the metal is reduced fin 0r rrower stream than heretofore. This to a minimum. Consequently, the amount of may-be due not only to the greater discharge metal which must be disintegrated by the oxygen capacity of the more rapidly moving stream, as

is at a minimum, and finally the oxygen required related above, but also to the possibility of utiliz- 20 for disintegrating the metal and executing the ing oxygen streams of oblong, rectangular or cut is also reduced to a minimum. Stated in anelliptical crosssection because of the higher other way, a kerf of given length and depth can kinetic energy content of the higher velocity v be cut in a given time with less consumption of streams. When the kinetic energy content of the 5 oxygen than would otherwise be required, or, constream is high it is quite eifective in sweeping the versely, for a given consumption of oxygen the products of the cutting operation from a narrow linear speed of cutting can be increased. kerf, but if the kinetic energy is low the slag is The least width of kerf is in itself a desideratum removed with greater difilculty and consequently in most cases, particularly for accurate cutting by narrow streams of oval or rectangular cross secaid of machines, and in addition to this an obtion are not as practicable with relatively low 30 ject of the invention is to produce walls which velocity discharges as they are with the high are especially true and smooth, this also being an velocity discharges such as I obtain as a result of advantage in all accurate operations. my invention.

Heretofore it has been customary to deliver and Reference will be had to the accompanying to direct the cutting oxygen jet to the metal drawing, which is to be understood as being 35 being severed by means of a cylindrical passage merely illustrative: in the end of a cutting tip or a y suitab yge Fig. l is a longitudinal section of a torch head J' d liv m h s pa sa is usua ly and a typical cutting ti of customary design. referred to as the cutting Orifice by tho Skilled This cutting torch is shown in relation to the main the art o di u from Other p a s terial being cut, in order to illustrate the general 40 n the cutting p Which-Serve other purp ses nature of the discharging oxygen stream and the I have Observed that the d h of th l kerf formed in the material. The purpose of this formed in ev g Piece Of te l w making view is to afford a comparison in order that the use of a cutting tip with such a discharge passage nature of the invention illustrated in the other is always greater than the diameter of the cutting views of the drawing may be readily apparent. 45. orifice. This I have found is because the oxygen Fig. 2 is a view of the same'character as Fig. l, stream expands in cross section after it emerges illustrating the method of'my invention and apr from the cuttingz-orifice. The expansion is p'riferred construction of the cutting device for carmarily due to the fact that with cutting orifices as rying the same into effect. I heretofore constructed the pressure of the emerg- Fig. 3 is a similar view, illustrating a modified 50 ing stream is considerably above atmospheric. form of the cutting device. My invention consists in so shaping the dis- FigsA, 5and6are sectional plan views taken on charge passage that the width of the oxygen a line such as 4-4 indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. stream and its tendency to expand are reduced to These views, illustrate three different possible 65 a minimum. The expansive tendency is minishapes of cross-section for the cutting orifice.

The cutting device may consist of a body having suitable leading channels and mixing provisions, together with a detachable tip containing the delivery orifices, but as far as the invention is concerned the torch might be a unitary device. The cutting jet orifices and the preheating jet orifices are preferably formed in the same deliverymemher, with the preheating jet orifices closely adjacent the cutting jet orifice, this being in accordance with the best standard practice, but the two kinds of jets may be delivered from separate nozzles, that also being known, and indeed any suitable agency or arrangement may be employed for heating or preheating the metal so that the cutting jet will attack it and produce a cut or severance exhibiting a kerf.

In each of Figs. 1 to 3 a torch head is designated 2, a channel therein for conducting cutting oxygen is marked 3, and a channel for conducting a heating mixture of oxygen and a fuel gas is marked 4. The cutting tip of Fig. 1 is designated 5, that of Fig. 2 is marked 5*, and the tip of Fig. 3 is marked 5".

Preheating. jet orifices in the tip are marked 6 in the several views, and the cones of the flames delivered from such orifices are indicated at 7. In Fig. 1 the cutting jet orifice, from which the kerf-forming oxygen stream is discharged, is marked 8.

This view is illustrative of the prior art and indicatesthe manner in which the oxygen stream 9 spreads on leaving a cylindrical orifice, resulting in the producing of a kerf 10 in the material 11 which is quite wide as compared with the discharge orifice. It is understood, of course, that the production of the kerfinvo'lves the displacement of the torch or of the work at appropriatespeed in the direction, or reverse direction, of the desired severance or slotting.

It is customary to provide an enlarged approach passage 12 leading to the cutting orifice 8, in order to minimize the pressure drop required to deliver the oxygen to the cutting orifice, and I preferably make use of such an approach passage in the carrying out of my present invention. By referring to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that I have departed from the simple cylindrical or parallel walled form of cutting orifice used heretofore for kerf cutting, and have substituted a particular type of divergent passage 18 which I shall presently describe in detail.

Whereas about 1000 feet per second and 3 to 5 atmospheres are the approximate velocity and pressure of the oxygen stream delivered from tips as heretofore constructed with cylindricalcutting I orifices, the velocity of the oxygen stream discharged from tips which I have constructed with suitable divergent nozzles is on the order of 1600 to 1800 feet per second, and the pressure of the emerging oxygen stream is approximately 1 atmosphere.

These high velocities and low pressures can not be realized if the degree of divergence of the walls of the cutting orifice is too great. When it exceeds a certain critical value, the oxygen stream will become highly turbulent and as a consequence the kinetic energy of the stream will be uselessly dissipated and its velocity will be reduced to a low order, namely to a value less than 1000 feet per second. As a further consequence its pressure will be only moderately reduced. Itmust be understood that the maximum permissible divergence for the cutting orifice of my invention can not be accurately defined in terms of the angular over, a greater angle of divergence is practicable near the larger end of this orifice than near the smaller end.

One accurate means of defining the degree of divergence of the cutting orifice of my invention is as follows, viz.: that the degree of divergence should be small enough so that the cross-sectional area of this passage does not increase as fast as the growth in specific volume of the oxygen as it passes succeeding cross sections. This will insure that the speed of the stream increases from cross section to cross section, while the pressure of the stream steadily decreases in an orderly fashion.

For maximum efiiciency the orifice length and the ratio of the terminal cross-sectional areas of the cutting orifice should be sufficient to drop the pressure of the oxygen stream to'atmospheric pressure when a particular operating pressure is used, the magnitude of which depends upon such considerations as the practicability of-designing regulators to deliver high operating pres sures. However, I do not wish to-limit my invention to the optimum relation, for I have found that a measurable improvement over older practice is obtained even though the cutting orifice is not designed to fully realize the maximum attainable efiiciency.

The carrying out of the invention calls for high indicated operating pressures, upwards of about -90 lbs., and thence, depending upon the size of the orifice and the degree of divergence, as much higher as regulators may permit. There is a critical ratio of the pressure of the atmosphere at the discharge and of the orifice to. the

pressure'of the oxygen immediately behind the throat 20 where the divergence begins, above which ratio back pressure into the oxygen orifice will create turbulence which destroys the velocity of the issuing stream. The pressure behind the to terminate the divergent passage with a straight portion 18 as shown in Fig. 2 rather than ,to continue the divergence to the extreme end of the tip as illustrated by Fig. 3. The former type of passage results in the smoothest and most uniform cuts.

Figs. 2 and 3 represent the issuing cutting stream 9 which is obtained with this invention. It spreads very little if at all and the resulting kerf is distinctly narrower than it would be if made with the cutting jet of the prior art, assuming the discharge areas of the orifices to be the same in both cases. Further than this, however, the very great increase in the kinetic energy of the stream makes it possible to operate with even smaller discharge areas'than would be appropriate with cylindrical cutting orifices, and this again contributes to the narrowing of the kerf.

It will be readily seen that this invention is not a case of enlarging an oxygen orifice as in the Walker Patent 1,726,327, for example." In accordance with my invention the discharge area of the cutting orifice is kept as small as possible for the thickness of metal to be cut, or is actually reduced in size as compared with a cylindrical orifice designed for cutting an equal thickness of metal, and the walls of the orifice diverge to this discharge area from a throat 20, which is preferably narrow in comparison to the unobstructed approach passage 12 which leads to it.

In the "case of a shorter tip, this throat might be located at the rear end of the tip, in which event the approach passage would be the passage in the head or body oi. the torch. The throat is preferably formed with a rounded or trumpetlike entrance, but this is not'essential, though it is desirable that the broad approach passage and the narrow throat shall not be Joined by a rightangled shoulder. 4

In the Walker patent referred to the plan was. to reduce the velocity of the oxygen jet materially and to cause it to spread, in both of which respects it is directly contrary to my invention. The Walker tip was designed for operations other than kert cutting,-ior example that disclosed in the Rooke Patent 1,732,912,which call for a large area stream of lowered velocity,

whereas my purpose is to cut keris through'metal,

and the advantages of my invention result from keeping the cutting stream as narrow as possible and giving it the maximum issuing velocity. The increase in the kinetic energy of the oxygen jet which I obtain is highly important in-cutting thick sections.

In the drawing no attempt has been made to indicate comparative roughness or smoothness of the cut as between Fig. 1 on the one hand and Figs. 2 and 3 on the other hand, but it may be stated that in general my invention makes possible cleaner as well as narrower cuts,

T smoother walls and walls more truly parallel from top to bottom than when prior keri cutting practice is followed. Another of the advantages oi the increased kinetic energy of the oxygen stream is that the amount of the drag at the lower part of the tart can be reduced, the deflection of the drag when changing the direction or the cut being likewisereduced.

As previously stated, economy in consumption of oxygen in making cuts through metal is a primary object.

The shape of the cross-section'oi the cutting orifice 18 or its extension 18- may be circular as 60 illustrated in Fig. 4, but the shapes illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 give rise to a higher cutting efilciency because at the thinner Jet discharged obtained. It is particularly desirable that the outer end 01 the cutting orifice be oi elliptical or-rectangular cross section, but it is not necessary that the entire length of the orifice be of such a shape. Thus it may be convenient to produce an approximately elliptical shape merely by applying a lateral pressure to the end or a tip in which has previously been formed a divergent cutting orifice of circular cross section. The result, as shown in Fig. '5, is an orifice the cross section of which is elongated or flattened-having more or less straight sides and rounded ends.

The flattening or elongation of the orifice may be produced in the divergent part 18 or in the parallel walled extension 18! if the latter is present, or in both. 7

I claim:

-1. The process of oxygen cutting of metals by means of a stream of oxygen of velocity greater than 1000 feet per second and pressure approximately atmospheric. I '2. The process oi oxygen cutting of metals by means of a streamoi oxygen of velocity about 1600-1800 feet per second and exit pressure not greatly exceeding that 01- the atmosphere into which it is delivered.

3. In the art of oxygen cutting of metals the method of delivering an oxygen cutting jet at velocity greater than 1000 feet per second while. minimizing its exit pressure, which comprises passing the oxygen through a divergent cutting orifice and causing the. specific volume of the oxygen to increase more rapidly in its passage through said orifice than the orifice increases in cross-section. 1

4.. The process 01 oxygen cutting of metals which comprises supplying the cutting oxygen under high pressure to a divergent cutting orifice the cross-sectional area of which does not increase as fast as'thegrowth in specific volume of the oxygen asit passes succeeding cross-sections.

5. The process of oxygen cutting of metals which comprises supplying the cutting oxygen under high pressure to a divergent cutting orifice the cross-sectional area of which does not increase as Iast'as the growth in specific volume of the oxygen as it passes succeeding cross-sections. and delivering the cutting jet from a substantially straight or non-divergent continuation of said orifice.

- 1 v JOHN J. CROWE.

and the even narrower her! which may thus be 

